Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
by Child Of the Faeries
Summary: Matt and Mimi have a perfect relationship.... but one party threatens to take all of that away. I guess this kinda turned out weird.... I was just trying to blow off some steam.


Beauty Is Only Skin Deepby Child of the Faeries  
  
  
Matt and Mimi have a perfect relationship.... but one party threatens to take all of that away. I guess this kinda turned out weird.... I was just trying to blow off some steam.  
  
  
  
  
  
"I love you, Meems," Matt said, pulling on a piece of her cotton candy colored hair. She smiled and responded by kissing him gently.  
  
He took her hand, and the two of them walked outside of school into a world that was covered in snow.  
  
Matt looked at the girl he loved, and could not imagine his life without her. Ever since he turned 16, they had been "an item". But he had loved her even before that.  
  
He remembered when they got sucked into the Digital World. She had been so prissy and preppie, he couldn't stand to talk to her. And she didn't talk to him, because he was such a lone wolf, trusting no one.   
  
But as time went on, he found that he had a lot in common with her. He remembered the time when Sora had been kidnapped, and Tai left Matt behind to protect Mimi and T.K. From that day on, he protected Mimi whenever he could. He believed it his job, just like he had to look after T.K. Both he protected out of love.   
  
But he had never told her this.  
  
They both had grown up so much in that time. And together..... they grew together, closer than Matt every thought he could be to another person. She was part of his soul.  
  
"What do you love about me, Matt?" Mimi whispered, leaning her head upon his chest.  
  
"I love your smile. I loved how smooth your skin is. I love the way you treat everyone else. But most of all," he said, pulling her close. "I love your eyes. They're the doorway to your soul."  
  
"And what do you see in them now, Matt?" Mimi said, looking deeply into his eyes.  
  
"Love. Only love."  
  
  
  
"Meghan, I'm home!" Matt called as he opened the front door. His step-mother appeared, looking frazzled.   
  
"Where did you put the cook books? I just got home from work and your father will be home at 6:00, expecting his food ready." He kissed his step-mother on the forehead and walked into the kitchen.  
  
"I'll make supper tonight, okay?" Meghan eyed him warily.  
  
"Can you even cook?"  
  
"Of course I can!" Matt said indignantly. "I'm da man!"  
  
"Whatever," the older lady said with a smile. "Just don't kill yourself." She walked away, and Matt smiled.  
  
He remembered when his dad had married Meghan. He had hated her then. But when she helped patch things up between him and Mimi, something changed in Matt. Now he was glad that Meghan was around.   
  
He wasn't quite comfortable calling her Mom, but she was fine with Meghan.   
  
He was stirring the rice when the phone rang. "Hey Matt. What's happening?"  
  
"Nothing much, Tai. What do you need? I'm in the middle of making supper."  
  
"Hey, my parents and Kari are going out of town this weekend and I'm throwing a party on Saturday night. Can you come?"  
  
Matt knew what kind of party Tai was going to have. He was going to invite everyone he could find, and over half of them would go home drunk or high. "Sorry Tai, but I'm spending the evening with T.K."  
  
"You can't bail on me now!" Tai said. "Mimi's going to be there."  
  
"Tai. You know where I stand on alcohol and drugs, okay? Don't try and pressure me into doing something I don't want to do."  
  
"Okay. That's cool. Perfectly fine with me."  
  
"Now Tai..... don't use that tone of voice with me. You know how much T.K. and I value our time together."  
  
"It's okay, Matt. I don't care. But it's going to be one great party. You'll be sorry you missed it."  
  
"I'm sure I will. Talk to you later, Tai." Hanging up the phone, Matt sighed. Why was Tai such a blockhead sometimes? He knew that Matt had decided not to smoke or drink or do drugs. That was the reason his family was ripped apart. He wouldn't risk letting that rip his wife and children away when he was married.   
  
He was going to learn from his father's mistake.  
  
  
  
"Matt, why aren't you going to Tai's party?" Mimi said, a pout forming on her face.  
  
"Mimi, I don't need this," he said with a sigh. "I don't want to go. I hate parties like that."   
  
She was angry, he knew, but she let it slide. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked, changing the subject. The night sky was alight with thousands of stars, each shining brightly. "My favorite thing in the world is sight. It allows you experience so many things. The stars. A sunset. Your true love's eyes."  
  
"Yes.... everything is very beautiful," Matt said, taking hold of her hand. "Please don't be mad at me, Mimi."  
  
"Oh Yama.... you know I'm not mad. I'm just..... disappointed. That's all." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek. "Let's go skate."  
  
The two of them walked onto the ice and started skating, slowly changing from two people into one graceful couple gliding across the ice.  
  
"You're so beautiful, Mimi ," Matt whispered in her ear. She giggled.   
"I love you, Matt."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hi Mom," Matt said as he opened the door. He have her a big hug. "Where's T.K.?"  
  
"He's in his room, changing out of his school uniform," she said, letting them walk in. "Hi Mimi."  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Matt!" T.K. exclaimed, walking out of his room while trying to put on his sock.  
  
"Hi T.K. Get your shoes on and we'll blow this joint." The two brothers shared a grin.   
  
"Hi Mimi," T.K. said as he tied his shoe. "Are you spending the evening with us, too?"  
  
"No. Matt would never allow that. We both know how much he enjoys his time with you. Matt offered to drop me off at Tai's for a party."  
  
"Why aren't you going to the party, Matt?"  
  
"Because I'm spending the evening with you, little bro." he said, looking down at his shoes, "Ready to go?" The three of them left, Matt promising to have T.K. home by 11:00. "You have my cell phone number, so call if you need anything," he said, giving his mother another hug. "See you later."  
  
Matt drove over to Tai's apartment complex. "See you later, love," Matt casually, giving her a quick kiss. "Enjoy yourself at the party."  
  
"I'll call you later," Mimi said, stepping out of the car. "Bye T.K.! It was good seeing you again!"  
  
She watched Matt's car drive off into the distance, then proceeded to walk up the stairs to Tai and Kari's house. She banged on the door, but everyone inside couldn't hear because the music was turned so high. Finally she just opened the door and walked in.  
  
"Hi Mimi!" Sora said, a dazed smile on her face. Mimi took off her shoes. All around, people milled around, eating food and drinking punch that Mimi suspected to spiked.  
  
She found a couple of friends from school and attached herself to them. They seemed to be sober, although Melissa did look a bit tipsy.  
  
"Hey Mimi, want something to drink?" Tai said, handing her a glass of punch. He spilled half of it on himself, and grinned stupidly.  
  
"Oops!" Mimi smiled, and took the glass. She walked away. When ever she went to these kinds of parties, Matt had always steered her clear of all the alcohol and such. But tonight.... he wasn't there. She was free to do whatever she wanted.  
  
She took a sip. It tasted good. So she took another.....  
  
  
  
  
Hours later, she was so wasted she didn't know up from down. Sora, her ride home, didn't look much better.  
  
"Ssssora....." Mimi tried to say, her words slurring." I need to go home." Sora tossed her the car keys, then continued kissing Tai.   
  
"I'm staying here tonight."  
  
Warily, Mimi walked down the stairs in her high heels and found Sora's car. She knew that she should call her parents or Matt or someone.....  
  
Matt would be so disappointed in me, Mimi thought sadly. I can drive myself me. I'm sober enough for that.   
  
Getting into the car, she put on her seatbelt and turned on the car. She felt disoriented, but she stepped on the gas and took off, lurching.  
  
Everything was fine. It was late at night, and there was barely any traffic. Mimi looked around, then thought she saw a car coming in her lane. Narrowing her eyes, she stared forward.... until she realized that she was in the wrong lane.  
  
"Matt, forgive me," she whispered as the two cars met.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Matt's phone started to ring and he paused the movie. T.K. looked startled. They were back in T.K.'s house, watching horror movies that Matt had rented.  
  
"Hello, this is Doctor J. Kido. May I ask who this is?"  
  
"Matt. Matt Ishida. Why are you calling me at this number?"  
  
"This is the number we were told we could reach you at. There has been an accident, and the victim's parents wish you to come down the hospital."  
  
"Who's been hurt?"  
  
"Miss Ta-"  
  
"Mimi?? What happened to her? I'll be right down." Matt scribbled the address down on a piece of paper and pressed the "off" button on his phone.  
  
"What's wrong, honey?" his mom asked, yawning.  
  
"Mimi was in an accident. She's in the hospital."  
  
"Oh honey......"  
  
"I have to go see her," he said hastily, putting on his shoes. He opened the door. "Sorry our evening ended so badly, T.K."  
  
"It's okay," T.K. said. "I just hope Mimi's okay."  
  
  
  
"What happened?" Matt exclaimed as soon as he saw Mimi's father. "Is she okay?"  
  
"Shhh... Matt.... she's stable right now. That's all the doctors have told us," her mother said softly. "Doctor Kido will tell us as soon as there is any change.  
  
They sat there in silence. Mimi, you have to be okay. I love you. Without you.... I'm not whole. I'm-  
  
"Your daughter is out of harm's way," Doctor Kido said as he entered the room. Matt sighed with relief.  
  
"What happened?" he asked, standing up.  
  
"Apparently, she was driving drunk and she hit another car. The driver of the other car survived only with a broken leg and about 20 stitches. But Mimi... we're not sure about her yet."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"When the two cars met, her windshield was shattered, cutting her face into shreds. Some shards got into her eyes and cut them. How much damaged was done, we aren't able to tell yet, but she has a pretty good chance of losing her eyesight."  
  
Matt was at a loss for word. "Can we see her?" he whispered.  
  
"Certainly. But don't mention her eyes to her, because we don't know what will happen with them."  
  
"Matt... you can go talk to her. We'll wait," Mimi's mom said, and Matt gave her a half-hearted smile.  
  
Dr. Kido showed Matt where Mimi's room was and then left. Matt pulled a chair near her bed and sat down.  
  
Her face was covered with bandages. "Oh Meems..... I'm sorry...." he whispered.  
  
"Sorry for what?" her scratchy voice said, and Matt took hold of her hand.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't go to the party with you. If I had.... none of this would have happened."  
  
"Matt..... it's my fault. You trusted me to keep my head.... and I didn't."  
  
"Why didn't you call me? I would have came and picked you up in a heartbeat."  
  
"I was so ashamed, Matt. Now I'm even more ashamed." She paused, and Matt kissed her hand. "I'm scared, Matt. I can't see anything."  
  
"That's because you've got bandages covering your eyes. When they take them away, you're be able to see again," Matt lied.  
  
They sat in silence for a moment. "Do you know how scared I was? I thought.... that you were dead.... or something....... I thought that I had lost you." Matt said, his voice breaking as tears formed in his eyes. "I was so scared......"  
  
"Don't cry, Matt. Please. This is all my fault."  
  
"If I would have gone to the stupid party....... I could have stopped you......... Tai was right. I wish I would have gone to that party.... but for a different reason."  
  
"Matt, you can't blame yourself. I made the choices. I chose to ignore every single thing you told me. I can't believe that you are even here. I did everything you ever told me not to do. I went with the crowd. I drank. I got drunk. I drove drunk. I could have killed someone! I should be apologizing to you. I feel so dumb!" she said, sobs wracking her body.  
  
"Matt.....Is there something wrong with me? Am I going to be okay? Because I heard the doctors talking...... and...... I'm scared." Matt didn't say anything. "Don't leave me, okay?"  
  
"Okay, love. I'll stay right here."  
  
  
  
  
The days passed, and Mimi regained her strength. Finally came the day when her bandages came off and they would find out the permanent damage.  
  
"Now, her face will look pretty bad," Dr. Kido explained to Matt and Mimi's parents. "Don't comment about it, or she will know immediately something is wrong. There is nothing we can do to fix her face. That's just the way it will look for now on. Okay?" They all nodded in agreement, and Dr. Kido allowed them to go into Mimi's room.  
  
"Mimi? It's me and your father," her mother said, fake cheerfulness in her voice.  
  
"Is Matt here?"  
  
"Yes Mimi-chan. I'm right here." The nurses started to take the bandages off of her face, exposing her skin.  
  
Matt almost threw up. His beautiful Mimi.... Her face was scarred and torn, one cheek sagging in. She looked monstrous and yet.... he still loved her.  
  
Finally, Dr. Kido took of the bandages covering her eyes. They were dilated, both peering aimlessly into space.  
  
"Oh, hurry up!" Mimi despaired. "I want to see my family!! And Matt!! Take the rest of these horrid bandages off!"  
  
"You can't....see anything?" Dr. Kido said gently.   
  
"No." Mimi's face vaulted. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
"I'm not sure. But I'll find out," Dr. Kido said. He took out a light and shone it into Mimi's eyes, but nothing happened.  
  
"I need everyone to leave the room," Dr. Kido said softly. Matt turned, looking back that the grotesque face that belonged to his true love.  
  
"Mimi.... There is something I need to tell you," Dr. Kido said gently. "When you got into your accident, shards of glass got into your eye. These shards of glass damaged your eyes to a point where they can no longer function."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean.... you've lost your sight in both eyes. Now, you may gain some of it back... but there's no guarantees."  
  
Mimi felt her face with her hands, and started to cry. "I'm a monster, aren't I? A horrible, digusting, deformed monster." Her tears fell in a flood, washing away any hope.  
  
Doctor Kido could only stand there, a comforting hand on her shoulder as sobs wracked her body.  
  
  
  
  
"Mimi?" Matt said hesitantly. "Can I come in?"  
  
"No. Go away."   
  
"Meems...... why are you doing this?"  
  
"Matt... I'm a monster. How could you love a monster?" she said, her voice filled with despair. "Just leave me to my misery."  
  
"I refuse to do that," Matt said, coming beside her. He ran his hand down her cheek. "I think you're beautiful."  
  
"No one thinks I'm beautiful. Not anymore," Mimi whispered.  
  
"I have never seen anyone more beautiful than you," Matt whispered. He kissed her, but she resisted him.  
  
"How can you love me? Look at me. I horrify myself."  
  
"Don't you know, Meems? Love is blind."  
  
" But Matt...... I've screwed up so bad," Mimi whispered, wrapping her arms around him clumsily.  
  
"Then it's time that you learned from your mistake," he said gently. "And then we move on. Together."  
  
"Together." Her voice was filled with awe. "I was so sure that you wouldn't love me anymore, Matt."  
  
"Meems, I love you for the person you are inside. Not your outside appearance. It's your character that matters. Not your looks."  
  
"Do you really mean that, Matt?" Mimi said, her voice filled with hope.  
  
"Of course I do. I'm never seen anyone who was prettier than you." He kissed the end of her nose.  
  
"Do you know what I see in your eyes, Matt?" Mimi whispered, running her hand down his face.  
  
"Love. Only love."  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
